I'm one of those people who enjoys low level films, at least to some extent. I like the idea that there are people in show business who are doing their best despite the fact that they are not very talented. Some low budget films are very good indeed with high quality actors, clever writers and maybe marginally competent directors. You can hire writers and actors to do a job and do it well just for the exposure and a little money, but quality directors won't attach themselves to a piece of trash. This film is not high quality trash. It is barely adequate trash. The secondary characters are not bad. The male lead, who is also the director and helped work on the screenplay, is not very good. Look at his output on IMDB. It is a history of trash. He has worked a lot over the years but has never been attached to anything very good. The narrative has a certain coherence. The world is divided into good people and bad people. The bad prey on the good. The good have to learn to stand up for themselves. The high point of this movie is the appearance of Stuart Whitman. Whitman was always more than a character actor but less than a big star. He could always be depended upon to turn in a solid, professional job and that is what he does here but all too briefly. If, like me, you enjoy scrounging in Hollywood's weed patch for small but interesting pieces of junk, I applaud you. If you find this one however, throw it back.
10 Reviews
Amish Spaghetti Western?
steiner-sam24 May 2021
Warning: Spoilers
It's set sometime in the near future in a post-nuclear disaster conflict between an Agapy Community of good people who are dressed conservatively and roving gangs of outlaws whose only goal is to pillage, rape, and kill. It has been described as a post-apocalyptic spaghetti western.
We're first introduced to the bad guys led by a man named Hog and partying that includes a lot of Jack Daniels whiskey and semi-nude women. We see a plainly-dressed woman and children murdered and a man named Cody seriously wounded. Cody is found by a mountain man named Duke, who nurses him back to health. Duke is self-sufficient, makes his own guns and ammunition, and teaches Cody how to shoot. He tells Cody that in a confrontation he should always be the "reactor." We learn that Cody is a former policeman whose family was killed by one of the last bombs. His sister was part of the Agapy Community that he joined and in which he became a preacher. It was his sister and her children who were killed by Hog's men. Two of Hog's men end up fatally wounding Duke and Cody kills them both. He then dresses up as a one-man vigilante cowboy in plain black clothes.
Through some interaction in the town diner we learn the Agapy people don't use guns, which puts them at a disadvantage with those that do. Hog's gang rolls into town and begins to assault the women. Hog has his particular eye on Shawna Dawson, daughter of leading citizens Jim and Mrs. Dawson.
Cody also arrives in town and tries to get the community to take responsibility for its own defense. They make him sheriff over the objection of Jim Dawson who still thinks Agapy people should have nothing to do with guns. He finds two men assaulting women in the Back Country Rural Mountain Outreach church and quotes Romans 13:4 and Exodus 21:23-24 before killing them.
Cody and Shawna then bathe together in the lake and have a tender interlude on the shore. Hog soon initiates an assault on Shawna, but is forced to leave to pick up more weapons and ammunition at some distance away. While he's gone, Cody eliminates a couple more bad guys, and tries again to convince the Agapy people to defend themselves with the few weapons he has. Most consent, except for Mr. Dawson.
When Hog finally returns there is an extended, almost comical, gun battle culminating in a final showdown between Cody and Hog. Order is restored, Jim Dawson apologizes to Cody, and more trouble-makers appear in town at the end.
The Agapy people are presumably based on the Greek word, Agape, which means love. The people dress plainly, but are not really Amish. The women wear long dresses, but not bonnets or cape dresses. The men wear suspenders, but have mustaches and some wear bowties. They worship in a fairly standard-looking church. The fact that they are peaceful people has led some critics to call them Amish.
This is one bad movie. The dialogue, filming, and acting are all sub-B level.
We're first introduced to the bad guys led by a man named Hog and partying that includes a lot of Jack Daniels whiskey and semi-nude women. We see a plainly-dressed woman and children murdered and a man named Cody seriously wounded. Cody is found by a mountain man named Duke, who nurses him back to health. Duke is self-sufficient, makes his own guns and ammunition, and teaches Cody how to shoot. He tells Cody that in a confrontation he should always be the "reactor." We learn that Cody is a former policeman whose family was killed by one of the last bombs. His sister was part of the Agapy Community that he joined and in which he became a preacher. It was his sister and her children who were killed by Hog's men. Two of Hog's men end up fatally wounding Duke and Cody kills them both. He then dresses up as a one-man vigilante cowboy in plain black clothes.
Through some interaction in the town diner we learn the Agapy people don't use guns, which puts them at a disadvantage with those that do. Hog's gang rolls into town and begins to assault the women. Hog has his particular eye on Shawna Dawson, daughter of leading citizens Jim and Mrs. Dawson.
Cody also arrives in town and tries to get the community to take responsibility for its own defense. They make him sheriff over the objection of Jim Dawson who still thinks Agapy people should have nothing to do with guns. He finds two men assaulting women in the Back Country Rural Mountain Outreach church and quotes Romans 13:4 and Exodus 21:23-24 before killing them.
Cody and Shawna then bathe together in the lake and have a tender interlude on the shore. Hog soon initiates an assault on Shawna, but is forced to leave to pick up more weapons and ammunition at some distance away. While he's gone, Cody eliminates a couple more bad guys, and tries again to convince the Agapy people to defend themselves with the few weapons he has. Most consent, except for Mr. Dawson.
When Hog finally returns there is an extended, almost comical, gun battle culminating in a final showdown between Cody and Hog. Order is restored, Jim Dawson apologizes to Cody, and more trouble-makers appear in town at the end.
The Agapy people are presumably based on the Greek word, Agape, which means love. The people dress plainly, but are not really Amish. The women wear long dresses, but not bonnets or cape dresses. The men wear suspenders, but have mustaches and some wear bowties. They worship in a fairly standard-looking church. The fact that they are peaceful people has led some critics to call them Amish.
This is one bad movie. The dialogue, filming, and acting are all sub-B level.
Suffered from Poor Audio and Some Really Ridiculous Action Scenes
Uriah4326 March 2020
After a nuclear war has decimated Earth a small religious community goes about life as best they can by essentially using 19th century technology to make ends meet. Unfortunately, the news that they appear to be thriving soon draws the interest of a gang of thugs led by an exceedingly brutal man who goes by the name of "Hog" (Darwyn Swalve) who decides he wants everything they have-and this especially includes an attractive young woman named "Shawna Dawson" (Alyson Davis) who just happened to catch his eye. What he doesn't know is that there is another man who he thought he killed named "Cody" (David Heavenor) who has since recovered from his wounds and is seeking vengeance upon him at all costs. Now rather than reveal any more I will just say that this was a rather dull low-budget film which suffered from extremely poor audio and some really ridiculous action scenes. Admittedly, Alyson Davis was pleasing to the eye but other than that this film had nothing else going for it and for that reason I have rated it accordingly. Below average.
Imitation is flattering
lor_11 April 2023
My review was written in May 1989 after watching the film on AIP video cassette.
"Deadly Reactor", formerly titled "The Reactor", is an offbeat Western in sci-fi clothing that could attract a modest following among home video aficionados.
Filmmaker-singer David Heavene demonstrates, as he did in previous pic "Outlaw Force", a fondness for the Clint Eastwoo/Sergio Leone Westerns, Here he plays a preacher-styled gunslinger in a post-nuclear war West, appointed town sheriff and charged with defending the righteous citizens from a marauding gang (styled like contemporary bikers) led by fatso Hog (Darwyn Swalve).
Relying over-much on Heavener's voice-over exposition, pic opens with him recuperating from wounds inflicted by Hog's gang. Hog rape his sister and killed his family, so Heavener has lots of avenging to do. He's known as "The Reactor", a tag acquire from learning gunfighting from wise old mountain man Stuart Whitman, who taught him to observe the other guy, prompt the adversary to make the first move and then react.
Heavener, who resembles Tommy Lee Jones with beard, is quite effective doing Eastwood's Western shtick, abetted here by a catchy, folksy musical score by Brian Bennett that is inspired by Ennio Morricone's "For a Few Dollars More" theme.
"Deadly Reactor", formerly titled "The Reactor", is an offbeat Western in sci-fi clothing that could attract a modest following among home video aficionados.
Filmmaker-singer David Heavene demonstrates, as he did in previous pic "Outlaw Force", a fondness for the Clint Eastwoo/Sergio Leone Westerns, Here he plays a preacher-styled gunslinger in a post-nuclear war West, appointed town sheriff and charged with defending the righteous citizens from a marauding gang (styled like contemporary bikers) led by fatso Hog (Darwyn Swalve).
Relying over-much on Heavener's voice-over exposition, pic opens with him recuperating from wounds inflicted by Hog's gang. Hog rape his sister and killed his family, so Heavener has lots of avenging to do. He's known as "The Reactor", a tag acquire from learning gunfighting from wise old mountain man Stuart Whitman, who taught him to observe the other guy, prompt the adversary to make the first move and then react.
Heavener, who resembles Tommy Lee Jones with beard, is quite effective doing Eastwood's Western shtick, abetted here by a catchy, folksy musical score by Brian Bennett that is inspired by Ennio Morricone's "For a Few Dollars More" theme.
Well I did watch it right through but . .
caterhamman14 September 2006
Where DID they get the screenplay and the actors for this laughable attempt at a movie? At times I wondered if perhaps there was a new school of acting where woodenness was considered a new art-form. The gaps in the dialogue let you can almost hear the prompter reminding them of their lines. Look out for the guy who jumps backwards a second after the shotgun blast hits him. Mind you, there is a cute girl who plays as major a role as any in the movie. She willingly shows off her body which goes a little way to reprieving this otherwise sad attempt at movie making. Mind you, I only paid 50 pence for the DVD so I really didn't expect much.
Enjoyable trash
sbunc92-328 August 2001
The tv station I work for recently showed this movie. The shootout at the end has to be one of the most poorly put together scenes I have ever seen in a movie. While watching you may be laughing to much at it to care though. Great movie to watch late at night with friends.
Early Heavener action flick with a good premise, but suffers from the usual technical issues.
b_kite31 May 2022
There's a pretty good premise to this. A man's sister, neice, and nephew are killed in the post-apocalypse where only the Amish and outlaw gangs seem to have survived. He is trained by an old timer the ways of the cowboy to seek revenge.
What sadly drags this down though is the horrible acting, weird pacing, and shacky directing. The gang themselves are a little to over the top as well and exceptionally rapey even at weird times. This was Heavener's second attempt at directing and he would get a little better on later efforts like Twisted Justice and Prime Target.
What sadly drags this down though is the horrible acting, weird pacing, and shacky directing. The gang themselves are a little to over the top as well and exceptionally rapey even at weird times. This was Heavener's second attempt at directing and he would get a little better on later efforts like Twisted Justice and Prime Target.
"No one thought there could be a nuclear holocaust, but there was." - no one thought an ending to a film could be so bad, but it was.
donie179810 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Ah, Deadly Reactor. I spotted this beauty whilst shopping in the well known supermarket of Morrisons, on offer at 99p. ( For those of you who live in the south of England, Morrisons is an affordable supermarket offering quality produce.) I was drawn to it in the bargain bucket, not only because of the 99p sale sticker, but for the name. the word "Reactor" conjures up so many fond memories for me, see my review of "Reactor" or "Guerra dei robot". And so, I decided to purchase it, and it proved a fruitful decision. It was terrible, in a good way. It starts off with the narrative intro.. "No-one thought there could be a nuclear holocaust, but there was." And no more is said about it. Take it as given, this film will be full of "but why?" questions, all of which can be answered with, "because of the nuclear holocaust". Typically, the "evil motorcycle / automobile" gang go round raping/murdering any locals they see fit to slaughter. Regrettably for them, they murder / rape & murder the only remaining family of "Cody" an ex police officer come Amish preacher, who for some reason had never fired a gun whilst he was a cop. not even in basic training ? Arf! The plot is ignorable, if one exists at all. Just admire the gaffs. Note the two hilarious bits of dialogue trying to drum up some bizarre reason why we should actually call Cody the "Reactor". Also, the final "showdown" is hilarious. In the pre-showdown pep talk, Cody, (played by actor, writer and director, David Heavener) the villagers are warned, "we haven't got many guns or ammunition so make every bullet count". Not only do they then proceed to waste every single bullet they have, missing by yards at a time, but the "badies" are just stood out in the open, standing still, laughing at the pathetic shooting of the villagers, even the two guys who we are told used to be in the army cant shoot for toffee. As for the ending, Cody seems to find two shotguns lying around in a field, when supposedly there had previously been a shortage of guns ?! As the film draws to a close, its hugs and handshakes all round, before one last moment of absurdity. A new gang drives in asking, "before we take this town apart, where can we get something to eat?" Cody, now on crutches and still bleeding, kindly gives them directions to the café. as they enter, he utters the hilariously pathetic line, "Bang Bang, You're Dead", before turning on his heels, and walking away, with the aid of both crutches and his new woman. ( with whom he previously shared the worst sex scene in cinema history.) no explosion, no sound of pistol fire, nothing. how does he contend that this new gang will die ? the villagers wasted all the ammo with their pathetic shooting, and he is in need of medical care. Maybe they'll die of radiation poisoning, but then, according to one character, that only affects the water, not the air, or land or food ?!
Definitely worth a watch.
For further expert analysis, see the review of Kaluninja, which raises many valid points, but perhaps the best of all, "where did all the doors go?" answer ? - the nuclear holocaust.
Definitely worth a watch.
For further expert analysis, see the review of Kaluninja, which raises many valid points, but perhaps the best of all, "where did all the doors go?" answer ? - the nuclear holocaust.
Classic B-Movie!
kaluninja10 January 2006
Warning: Spoilers
Outstanding movie! The plot is incredible - it is supposed to concern the events following a nuclear holocaust but apparently the buildings (except the doors which have been replaced by sheets!), the dog and the horses (who must have found an appropriate bomb shelter at the time) have all survived! We hear random references to the holocaust throughout the film but "the plot" really didn't need it and apparently only the water possesses a threat of radiation. The main character is for no logical reason whatsoever known as "The Reactor" even though he is the slowest character to react to every situation which arises. The falling in love of the main character and the girl occurs after just one (appalling) line and in the space of just a few hours. The main villain, Hogg, only seeks to kill people and rape women whereas the hero just wants to kill bad guys, preferably after they've just killed someone important, since he can only react (slowly) to events. There is absolutely no reason for this movie to exist, it's mostly a musical with action scenes pieced together with complete disregard to script continuity. If you love B-movies this is priceless. Definite top 10 B-Movie candidate!
One of the great bad movies......
Spudling25 September 2010
This was David Heaveners' laughable homage to/ copy of the westerns of Clint Eastwood, combining as it does elements of the Dollar films, Pale Rider and High Plains Drifter. It is set in a post-apocalyptic world purely as a cost-cutting measure. A Western would have required horses and costumes and you wouldn't be able to hire bikers to play the heavies for a couple of barrels of beer.
The other reviewers have amply covered the ludicrous aspects of this movie that make it so stupid, so funny and so entertaining. But the highspot to me came when the townsfolk were waiting for the biker gang to attack them. Our hero shows them how to use guns, but then, just before the gang are due to arrive, he leaves the town and the townsfolk to their own devices. WHY ? He liked the townsfolk. He loved one of the women. He wanted revenge on the bikers. Why ride away and leave the townsfolk to certain death etc ? And it suddenly struck me. That is what Eastwood did in High Plains Drifter......
The other reviewers have amply covered the ludicrous aspects of this movie that make it so stupid, so funny and so entertaining. But the highspot to me came when the townsfolk were waiting for the biker gang to attack them. Our hero shows them how to use guns, but then, just before the gang are due to arrive, he leaves the town and the townsfolk to their own devices. WHY ? He liked the townsfolk. He loved one of the women. He wanted revenge on the bikers. Why ride away and leave the townsfolk to certain death etc ? And it suddenly struck me. That is what Eastwood did in High Plains Drifter......
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